|
Water laps steadily at the pier as sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around Absalom’s port. The venture-captain’s summons called for a meeting aboard the Sixwing Drake, a sleek sailing ship. The Drake’s captain, a Varisian woman and fellow Pathfinder named Zarah Zendrani, stands at the helm of her vessel. “It’s not like Valsin to be late,” she mutters, furrowing her brow.
As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. “Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in the sea!” he grumbles. The tall man looks around at those gathered before him. “Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture- Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment.”
Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. “A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium.” Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. “But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent. It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time, but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective. Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help. In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before.” The Venture Captain takes a breath as he surveys the chaos of the docks, tutting softly.
“Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day. But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity. If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium.” Ambrus takes the folded paper and hands them over, allowing you to see there are in fact two notes.
“Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the tasks she has set for you. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium.”
|
The smartly turned-out halfling's brow furrows as she peruses the notes, her grimace deepening the further she reads.
"Well. It would seem my skills are mostly unsuited to the nature of this mission, nevertheless I will endevour to help rather than hinder."
She throws the gathering a casual salute.
"Pioni Pintapple, at your service, Ladies and Gents."
"Anyone know anything about this Oyster Bar or black marketeering or the captain of the Blue Dragon's Bite?"
"Is this the first the society is hearing about 'whip'?"
|
|
Nuethro stands there in a simple cotton shirt and pants, while barefoot, reading the note.
"Ending the spread of dangerous drugs would be beneficial and if we can gain some friends or allies doing this 'favor' would be icing on the cake."
He looks to the others, "I am not much of a talker when it comes to negotiations and such, but I am trained well for combat and stealth missions. I imagine both of those could come in handy on this mission."
He clasps both of his hands together before his chest before giving a slight bow, "I am Nuethro Hisk. I am at your service."
|
Dressed in silk and velvet, something about the man lounging in his chair seems somehow predatory. He sits up, revealing a wide smile.
"Your service is appreciated. I am Lord Basil Nightly. I shall perform any required negotiations. If my presence is not required, however, my associate shall accompany you. He is practiced in magical arts."
|
Penthesilea saunters into the briefing to a fanfare that just happens not to actually be playing.
She's dressed in a light mail corselet, with a brand new bow slung in a quiver on her back. Various holy symbols and lucky charms clatter against each other while they hang from her belt, her ears, the grip of her bow etc.
I'm Penthesilea Aelyosan, you'll probably want to remember that for later, I'm normally more about exploring ruins than stopping drug rings, but hey, I'll try anything once!
|
"Ah, Konnichiwa! Good Morning!", exclaims an unremarkable Oriental man in cheap scale mail.
He carries a few weapons quite openly: A greatsword, an earthbraker hammer, and a longsword, along with a shield on his back. The only item that looks cared for is a large holy symbol on a cord around his neck, demonstrating a great love and respect for Shizuru.
Kenoske speaks in a distinct accent, mixing his l' and r's, pronouncing his h's with force.
"Our duty is to the people. We must protect them in any way we can. I hope I can be of service.
Kenoske gives a deep bow to the room in general.
|
|
Valsin turns to Pioni and shrugs slightly at the questions. "You would be best served asking around Diobel rather than here I am afraid. " he replies before brushing himself off. "“Diobel is often called the ‘Doorway to Absalom.’ Shipments to and from Absalom often go through Diobel, which has lower taxes than Absalom. Trade with Diobel is an important part of Absalom’s economy—which is why we must tread lightly around the Kortos Consortium, given their influence in Diobel.”
Waiting to see if you have any more questions for him, he gestures to the ship resting in the waters behind him on the docks. "Well I suggest you press on and get on with your tasks. Don't dawdle as you don't have unlimited time in which to complete them, a day maybe two at most. If you need any last supplies I would buy them now, you have around an hour."
As you prepare to board the Sixwing Drake, you have some time to think over what you know about Kortos Consortium.
|
|
Lord Nightly sounds bored as he explains, "I have studied the major organizations of Kortos. There is no formal alliance between the Kortos Consortium and Aspis Consortium. The two groups are likely working together in a limited capacity—at least for the time being." he smirks, "Neither group is centralized enough for such an arrangement to be very stable. Causing a major disruption in their operation would very likely sever ties between the two groups."
"House Locosta, the faction allied with the Aspis Consortium, claims that its major interest is in Qadiran spices, but the family derives most of its profit from buying and selling Qadiran slaves."
|
|
In way of answer, Ambrus smiles and waves "Good luck with your mission!" he calls as he makes his way through the crowd, his fast pace indicating he must be a busy man- or he left the stove on.
With no pressing business, you board the Sixwing Drake and the captain calls for their crew to prepare to leave. The journey passes swiftly and thankfully uneventfully. After some time, Captain Zendrani and the crew of the sleek Sixwing Drake steer the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war-barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel.
“Well, here we are,” says the captain. “I’ll make sure everything is in order with Diobel’s inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren’t carrying anything particularly valuable, so you shouldn’t draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don’t run your mouth. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember—there isn’t much time!”
You arrive in Diobel during sunrise on Oathday. Zendrani slips a barge captain several gold pieces as a sign of good faith. She asks him if he could do her the favor of sticking around on shore for the day in case your group need to return to the ship. The captain is a stocky middle-aged man with weather-beaten skin and calloused hands. His name is Markus Karbie, and he accepts Zendrani’s deal. The barge journey from the barrier to the coast is uneventful; the barge captain respects Zendrani’s gold and doesn’t ask you any questions. If the you try to talk to him, he politely but firmly insists that he “isn’t being paid to make conversation.”
You can now take some time to ask around about Diobel. You have three tasks to choose from and from the warnings, you only have chance to complete two without raising too much suspicion.
|
|
Nuethro rubs his chin as he thinks on what they should do next.
"Since we are to do two task, I recommend the first and third task. The first task because if we can disrupt that meeting, they won't get wind of the plan and won't start suspecting Magali. We could possibly even get the two contacts to suspect each other, starting a dispute between the two groups. As for the third task, if we can get the alchemist behind the drug and any documentation that he might have, we could not only slow down or even stop the production of the drug, we could also develop a means to combat the drug's affect."
He looks to the others to see what they think.
|
|
Standing on the docks to discuss your next move, you head to the local bar to remove the dryness from your throats and hopefully cause a little mischief.
The Overflowing Oyster is a dirty, broken-looking building that barely fits between the fishing tackle shop to its north and the junk shop to its south. Hanging over the door is a creaky sign that shows a painted oyster with pearls spilling from its gaping shell. The interior of the Overflowing Oyster displays a mix of rickety furniture and gaudy decorations, from strands of obviously fake pearls hanging over the kitchen’s entrance to wooden carvings of sultry mermaids and cheap paintings of ships at sea.
Contrary to its name, the dirty tavern is hardly crowded, several local laborers hunch over cheap food and casual games of chance, cursing and muttering to the same old friends about the same old troubles. The proprietor and barkeep, Paltus Flynter, asks the regulars to call him “Pal” and is always willing to lend an ear. Aside from Pal’s mute younger brother, Gregon, who tends the kitchens, the Oyster has no additional staff.
You know you have until noon to plan your disruption to the meeting, giving you a few hours to do as you will.
|
|
Nuethro grabs a table for the group and orders a round of ale for everyone. When the ale arrives he just sips the ale, so not to get drunk but to remove the dryness in his throat.
"I have an idea. We 'hire' a few of the more drunk people in the tavern to assault one side of the meeting while yelling out they are from the other side. We sit back and just watch and only take some type of action if needed."
|
|
"I have not earned the right to drink just yet, my friends! First we must come up with a plan!", Kenoské stands, unwilling to rest before his work is done.
"I am not much of a plotter, but our source tells us the barman has a secret we could exploit? I would like to begin by perhaps steering our friend away from any immoral dealings..."
|
|
"Indeed. Some ground work seems necessary."
Vasile takes a look at the ale, then pushes his to the center of the table. He stands and approaches the bartender, "Wine. Your darkest red."
Turning back to his companions, Vasile scans the room, trying to get a sense of the crowd and looking for the insignia of either consortium.
|
|
It takes little time to be furnished with a round of drinks given the quiet nature of the tavern at the time and Remy, Penthesilea and Nuethro begin to talk about potential plans whilst the others set off to set up the disruption they desperately need. Kennoske and the Count make their way to the bar proper, a dingy wooden affair with 'Pal' the barman stood behind it, cleaning a glass that only seems to get dirtier the more he wipes. Eyebrow raised at Vasile's order, he rummages about under the bar until he comes up with a dusty bottle of red.
Inexpertly, 'Pal' opens the bottle and pours out a measure for the count, who finds it sour and possibly corked. "Eh, what was that? Shizu-who?" Pal responds in confusion to Kennoske's rambling about forgiveness and holiness.
"Oh, it's information ye be wantin'? Why didn't ye just ask. The Kortos bloke, Sareth Markell has been using my booths for a deal or some sort. I don't eavesdrop ye understand, but I hear it is some sort of big deal between him and another large organisation. Don't know the other by name but I can point em out all casual like when they come in."
Whilst Vasile can't see anyone bearing with Kortos or Aspis heraldry, he is able to take stock of the other clientele to the Oyster. It seems to be your atypical dock workers and sailors on shore leave. a rough type of customer who enjoy strong, cheap beer and a way to pass the time. SOme are gambling, whilst others are boasting about their tales at sea.
Meanwhile, Pioni uses her size to her advantage and hides at the edge of the bar. As Pal is distracted by the Tian Paladin and his brother comes out to serve, the Halfling is able to quickly dart into the kitchen. It is a standard affair, with a large pot over a stove containing today's special - fish stew. Quickly, Pioni is able to grab a handful of spices from the rack and pour unhealthy amounts into the bubbling broth.
|
|
Vasile returns to the table, face as sour as the wine in his glass. "Looks like your kind of crowd, Nuethro. Shouldn't be difficult to stir them up." he takes a sip and scowls. "Though, you might want to get them on your side before you need them there." His smile reveals unusually prominent incisors, "Take it from someone who has experience with a mob."
|
|
Vasile rolls his eyes. "Start a fight in the wrong part of the bar, and our marks will get away before the trouble gets to them." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why don't you strike up a game of cards with them, Remy? Cheat a ruffian or better yet, set him up to look like a cheater. That is sure to get the blood running in here." He licks his lips.
|
|
"If we could get them to brawl among themselves without drawing us in, that would be the best. Would also allow us to more easily to see how the two targets react, especially to each other."
He thinks a little bit more, "If they can leave distrustful of each other that is great, but if they just decide to reschedule the meeting, that is not so great."
|
|
Between working the crowd and spreading rumours of the accursed treachery of snakes, your group gets the idea that the taverns patrons would be on your side should you cause a ruckus. Many of the group are in fact itching to scrap with somebody. With your work done at least for now, you take the time to get a drink and bite to eat, knowing to avoid the stew when filled in by Pioni, unless insane spice is your idea of a good time.
Over the next few hours, a few patrons change but the rumours of dirty dealings by treacherous snakes spread through the newcomers like wildfire. Eventually, 'Pal' behind the bar gives you the agreed signal as a man walks into the bar and takes a seat in a secluded corner, just before the known meeting time between the Kortos and Aspis consortiums. About 15 minutes later, a female wearing a bronze badge steps warily into the bar and joins the man that walked in before. Again Pal gives a signal, informing you that these are the two you are after.
The man and woman hunker down in hushed conversation. Moments later, Pal's mute brother comes over with two bowls of stew and places them on the table before retreating. The female agent takes a bite and begins to cough violently, their eyes watering. Meanwhile, the others in the bar look around, waiting for a signal.
|
|
Nuethro knows from his last attempt, that his bluffing skill his horrendous, therefore he decides to slip into the shadows and waits for his moment to strike if needed.
With the Count starting his plan, he jumps up from the table and backs away as if he wants nothing to do with the conflict about to arise. Slipping through the tables and reaching close to the exit while hiding his presence.